Definition

1. Noun (Literary, Archaic):
   • The road back home; the journey home: "dặm phần" refers to the road or path leading back to one's homeland or native place. It carries a poetic and nostalgic connotation, often evoking feelings of homesickness or longing for one's roots.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Lòng người tha hương luôn nhớ về dặm phần. (The heart of an exile always remembers the road back home.)
  • Trong thơ cổ, hình ảnh dặm phần thường gợi nỗi buồn xa xứ. (In classical poetry, the image of the journey home often evokes the sorrow of being far from home.)

Advanced Usage

• This term is primarily found in classical Vietnamese literature and poetry. It is not used in modern everyday conversation but may appear in artistic, historical, or formal literary contexts to evoke a sense of tradition and deep emotional connection to one's homeland.

Variants and Related Words

• Quê hương (n): Homeland, native land. This is the modern, common word for one's hometown or country of origin.
• Cố hương (n): Old home, native place. Another literary term for homeland, often used with similar nostalgic sentiment.
• Đường về (n): The way home. A neutral, contemporary phrase for the route leading home.

Synonyms

• Đường về quê: The road home to the countryside/native place.
• Lộ trình trở về: The itinerary of return (more formal and modern).

Notes on Meaning

• The term "dặm phần" is a Sino-Vietnamese compound. It originates from the Chinese characters 分 (phần, meaning "part" or "share") and 踄 (a variant or related character to 步, meaning "step" or "road"), conceptually forming "the road that is one's share" or "the path to one's allotted home." Its core meaning is inextricably linked to the concept of returning to one's origin or ancestral home.

1. (văn chương, cũ) The road back home